CH 21

Hosoi Kurama now had a miserable life. Since prosthetic devices were not allowed in prison, he had to get by with the 'prison approved' claw for one hand. He didn't even have that all the time, only for work details and meals. He was watched every moment in his small cell, searched regularly, and learned the hard way who to avoid. Some thug thought it was funny to knock his glasses off and stomp on them. It would be another month before the request for another pair was put through.

Kakuzawa had thrown him to the wolves. Lucy's abduction from her home, his plan to retrieve her, and even information from Kurama's 'personal files from his office all helped convict him of terrorist acts, kidnapping, child endangerment and first degree murder, as well as attempted murder. He was here for three life sentences without the possibility of parole.

At times, he wished Lucy would have just killed hm.

Waking up to another blurry morning in his cell, he struggled as usual. The cells opened, he heard them calll all prisoners out. Not seeing the best with no glasses, he stumbled out in front of his cell to be seen. Then came the command to move and a whistle blew. The line of men on his cell block moved to their daily chores. The only good thing about this was he knew the way.

"Kurama! The Warden wants to see you!" a guard barked and grabbed his arm to point him in the right direction. He walked a few steps towards what looked like a doorway and ran into a wall. The guard laughed and steered him through a door and down the hallway.

Lead into an office, he was sat down in a chair, then someone put a pair of thick plastic framed glasses on him. "Thank you.," he said meekly. He could now see the Warden's desk clearly, the warden, and the man who stood beside him.

The blond man with a crew cut and in a black suit in back of the Warden by the window cast him a brief smile. "Mr. Kurama, I have an offer for you. Men in your position usually get to know these walls very, very well. They usually grow old and die here. By reading your information, you're lucky this state doesn't have a death penalty. I understand you used to be a research scientist?"

"Used to be," Kurama said.

"What did you research?"

"A mutation of the human norm. A monster called diclonius. They are free now. I expect they are spreading rapidly," Kurama intoned, watching the man.

The man nodded. "Possible, but we haven't seen signs of such. There have been sightings in Mexico, France, and Italy that we can confirm, and we do believe we know where they reside. At least, the three we know about," he said evenly. "So, what can you tell me about them?"

Kurama eyed him for a moment then asked, "And if I tell you?"

"Then I don't have your glasses taken away and have you sent back to your cell after 30 days in solitaire for refusing to cooperate," the man stated. "I have use for you, or rather may have as long as you cooperate. What you will get in return depends upon what you can tell me."

Kurama frowned for a moment. These glasses were a bit big, he used his wrist stump to push them up on his nose. "Diclonius are extremely dangerous. They kill for no reason from the time they are three. The mental projections they have that we called 'vectors', can reach far from their body. These can be used as weapons or a defensive measure, but their main purpose I believe is to infect humans with their DNA. This causes normal people to have dicloni children. One diclonius can infect hundreds, maybe even thousands. Lucy infected at least 150 that we knew about. 61 of these dicloni children killed their parents and others around them. After that string of deaths, we began searching for the source, and discovered the one we named 'Lucy'. She was the only fully formed Diclonius. And she had escaped with help. She could be making Diclonius as we sit here talking about it."

The man behind the warden asked, "Explain these vectors. How far can they reach? How do they kill?"

"As I said, they are mental projections. Focused Telekinesis, if you will," Kurama explained. "They can block small items such as incoming bullets and cut through material up to forty millimeters of steel plate. Small arms fire is ineffective against them and body armor is torn apart as if it was paper. They act instantaneously, their range is two to five meters depending upon the individual."

"Jesus," the Warden said softly.

"I don't think Jesus has anything to do with these Diclonius," the man said with a crooked grin. "They seem like the perfect weapons. Was that your interest in them, Kurama, making them better weapons?"

Kurama cast him a hateful stare, and said, "My interest was in cleansing them from the planet. These things will bring about the end of the human race if they are left to their own devices."

"Any other abilities?" the man asked.

"Diclonius are clever. Lucy has managed to not kill a few people that became her allies. One woman's name is Amanda, though that may have been an alias. Lucy was adopted by a Duncan McLeod. We stole her away from him, he used Amanda to steal her back. Lucy and her cohorts knew we were coming and set up an ambush." Holding his arms up he said, "She left me like this and took my assistant with them. The men, she just beheaded."

"Interrogation, no doubt," the man concluded. He walked around the desk in thought, then said, "Mr. Kurama, can you identify these individuals by sight?"

"Yes."

The man looked at the Warden and nodded. "We'll take custody of this prisoner." He then clapped a hand on Kurama's shoulder and said, "Make no mistake, Mr. Kurama, if you attempt escape, we will shoot you dead without a second thought."

.

Under Mayu's intense gaze, Nana had a fun time with Jeff talking by the fire and playing games. Mayu played too, but scrutinized Jeff in case his hands wandered to someplace they weren't suppose to be.

Inari called Jeff's mother to let her know where he was. She assured the woman Jeff got here safe, and someone would drive him home since it was really snowing outside. Jeff was cleared to stay for dinner, then his mother wanted him home. Inari assured her they would bring Jeff home right after.

Despite Mayu's watching Jeff like a hawk, Jeff was well behaved. It angered Mayu that Nana would grab Jeff by the hand and pull him along to go places. Happy, innocent Nana did not know the danger of boys. She was going to give Jeff ideas! Mayu was looking for something, anything to yell at Jeff for. While she was watching Jeff at the dinner table, she saw him reach over and get the bowl of squash for Nana, he tried to set it in front of her plate as Nana reached for the spoon. His elbow bumped her breast.

"AAH HA!" Mayu yelled triumphantly as she pointed. "Jeff IS perverted! See that?"

"Huh?" Nana and Jeff asked, frozen in place, looking confused.

"Mayu, I think that was an accident," Kouta offered.

"Was not, Jeff tried to feel Nana up!" Mayu proclaimed.

Jeff turned red. "I ... I'm sorry, Nana," he said meekly.

"Doan worry, Jeff, Ya didn mean it," Nana offered.

"He did too, He's being sneaky!" Mayu shouted.

"Mayu, please stop it!" Kaede barked.

Jeff sat down and said, "Nana, I'm really sorry."

Nana wasn't listening. Frowning at Mayu, Nana said, "Mayu, it was an accident. It was Nana's fault as much as Jeff's. Please stop being mean to Jeff!"

"But, he touched you!" Mayu cried.

"And Nana touched Jeff!" Nana countered. "So what?"

"Nana, he wants to be perverted with you!" Mayu said in a pleading tone.

"Jeff does not," Nana cried in frustration.

"I don't want ya ta git hurt," Mayu said firmly.

"Jeff din hurt Nana, Jeff would not hurt Nana," Nana replied.

"He can if he touched ya," Mayu countered.

Nana's frowned deepened. She was tired of hearing about how Jeff was going to hurt her if he touched her. She grabbed Jeff's hand and planted it on her small breast, which made Jeff turn bright red. "See, Mayu, it doan hurt at all," Nana stated.

"NANA!" everyone at the table yelled in shock, including Jeff. Mayu gaped at her, horrified.

Jeff pulled his hand back, his face beet red.

"I don't believe she did that," Kouta grumble as he face palmed.

"But..." Mayu said weakly.

Angry, Nana balled her fists and said, "Mayu, Nana knows ya have been mistreated! I know ya've had a it bad. I know what those men did ta ya in that broken down place. But it's not Jeff's fault! Nana loves Mayu but right now, Mayu is making things hard for Nana an all of us!" Motioning, Nana said, "Doan ya think Kouta and Kaede touch each other? Or Duncan an Inari touch each other? That's what mates do, an if Nana and Jeff decide to touch each other, it'll be like Kouta and Kaede, NOT what ya had to go though in those ruins! So kin ya PLEASE not be mean ta Jeff for somethin Jeff didn do?"

A tear ran down Mayu's cheek. She burst out bawling. Nana's face crimped up. She jumped over the table and hugged Mayu. Mayu hugged Nana tight and cried her eyes out.

Silence reigned as Nana and Mayu held each other and cried. Slowly, their crying reduced to sniffles. They released each other enough to look at each other.

Sniffling, Mayu cast Nana a weak smile and said, "I … just wanna protect ya from … what happened ta me."

Nana nodded and returned the weepy smile. "Nana knows that. Nana wants ta protect Mayu too. Nana also likes Jeff, and Nana will be careful not ta be perverted wit Jeff. OK?"

Mayu nodded. She then cast Jeff a glance and said, "But ya did make him fondle ya."

Nana put a finger to her lip and blushed. "Nana's sorry. Nana probably shouldn't a done that," she said sheepishly. "Sorry, Jeff."

"It's OK. I doan mind," Jeff offered. Seeing everyone eye him, he cringed and added, "I mean … ahhh."

"You knew Nana was angry," Kaede supplied.

"Ah, yeah," he agreed.

.

Although Mayu wanted to go along with Duncan when he took Jeff home, since Nana was going, Kaede held her back. Kaede let her watch out the window as Duncan put Jeff's bike on the roof rack and Nana jumped up on the roof to help tie it down. Kaede watched too, noting the snow building up in piles and drifts.

"Mayu, do you remember how Yuka was?" Kaede asked absently.

Watching out the window, Mayu said, "You mean about being upset because of you and Kouta?"

"Aye," Kaede agreed. "I kin tell ya I wasn't pleased. At times, I really wanted ta … be mean ta Yuka. I never did, for I knew Kouta an Yuka were related. Ya doan hurt family."

Mayu gazed outside for a moment, then frowned. "Mom, am I hurtin Nana?"

Kaede laid an arm over Mayu's shoulders. Gently, she said, "I doan think ya'd ever mean it, but yeah. Nana feels bad that ya won't accept Jeff."

Mayu asked, "Do ya think Yuka's all right?"

"I doan know. I hope so," Kaede admitted. "Mayu, Yuka had a tough time. Goin home was somethin she had ta do. Doan know if I'm makin me point, but ya gotta let Nana see Jeff, if that's what Nana wants ta do."

"I just doan want Nana hurt." Mayu said with a sigh.

"Neither do I, hon. Neither do I. Sometimes we gotta take chances fer our loved ones."

"I''ll try, Mom."

Outside, Nana and Jeff climbed into the passenger side front seat and they left, leaving deep tire tracks and a cloud of snow in their wake. Mayu watched the Land Rover disappear into the distance, and braced herself to do her best for Nana, even if she did hate all boys.

.

On the plane, Kurama got to look at the photographic evidence that had been collected. He saw Lucy on a jet-ski, a picture of her walking down a street in Paris, and at a train station. He also saw a picture of Nana with another girl and Lucy in a town. It looked like Nana was leading them into a store. He had to smile, Nana seemed as bright and cheerful as ever. "Where is that?" he asked, pointing with his wrist stump.

"The town of Glen Finnen, Scotland. Who's the the ones besides Lucy?"

"The purple haired one is Nana. She's non-violent. The human girl, I don't know," Kurama told him.

"How about this one?" he asked, and showed a picture of Inari with the background scenery far below.

Kurama frowned and asked, "Number thirty three. She's loose too?"

"From the little we know, she's a local singer. I take it she's someone to watch?"

Kurama glanced at him. "Thirty three is the only one besides Lucy we were able to measure the growth of her vectors. By the records, she was the only one to bear a child. I had thought she'd been disposed of. She was growing too strong to keep contained," Kurama told him. "If she's out, this is real bad news."

"You keep saying that," the blond haired man said. "They are killers, and very dangerous. Tell me, why would such monsters settle down in the quiet Scottish countryside to live with the locals? We've heard only one substantiated rumor of any violence in that area." He showed Kurama the picture of the insides of some ruins, painted with blood. "By your description, this should be a daily occurrence."

Kurama studied the picture. "That is typical Lucy. I don't know what they have planned," he said. Tapping his glasses back up, he guessed, "Maybe a colony of Diclonius. Such a thing will be very hard to stop."

"Well, Kurama you will once again be a research scientist," the man said with a grin. "Your first task will be to get a room at an Inn, being monitored very closely by us of course. We'll be watching you to test reactions."

"Reactions? From who?" Kurama asked.

"Ahh, you'll see. Experiments are best done blind, are they not?" the man asked with an evil grin.

Kurama had a bad feeling this man was going to use him to see how a Diclonius killed people.

.

After landing, they went through customs then got o a small plane and flew out to a private airfield. There, Kurama was taken in to a small building and fitted with some electronic gear tight to his torso. The blond man explained as the devices were strapped on.

"We are fitting you with sound, video, GPS and shall we say, an anti- escape device. If you try to run, you blow up. Once he's done, you'll be flown to Glen Finnen. There, we'll drive you to the Lenui Inn. You go in and get a room for five days. If you're still alive after that, you'll be recalled."

Kurama felt a couple devices being placed on his back on the harness they'd put on him, then another was added to the center of his chest, a tiny one on his shoulder, then one was added into his hair. He was given a prosthetic hand that he was sure held a little something extra by the tiny metal dot that looked like a nail head. He was then taken back out and put on the plane.

.

Inari called everyone together with Dr. Nesbitt. Everyone sat together at the dinning room table. Kaede got Kouta situated and noted Nana and Mayu, side by side as usual.

Dr. Nesbitt asked, "Mayu, you told me you're willing to go to school?"

Mayu nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

"What about the boys there?"

May visibly cringed. Slowly, she said, "I hafta give'em a chance not to … to be nice to Nana."

"Mayu, Ya know Nana will protect Mayu." Nana said gently.

Mayu offered Nana a small grin and said, "We'll protect each other."

"Aye," Nana agreed.

Inari asked, "Nana what will ya do if someone bothers Mayu?"

Firmly, Nana said, "Tell-em ta stop. If the doan wanna listen, Nana tells a teacher. If they try to hurt Mayu, Nana will push'em away."

"Don't push anyone, Nana," Dr. Nesbitt said. "You'll get in trouble. Go to the office and get help."

Kaede rolled her eyes, "An what if there's someone who traps'em, say in a stairwell? Are ya sain Nana can't fight back?" she asked Dr. Nesbitt in a hard tone.

"I agree wit Kaede," Inari said. "Nana, you do what ya gotta do ta keep yerself and Mayu safe."

Dr. Nesbitt frowned at Inari. "We can't encourage violence."

"Who's encouragin?" Iniari asked. "Nana and Mayu are good girls, An I doubt Nana'd do anything she din hafta do. I 'm not tellin these kids not ta defend themselves."

"Agreed," Kaede stated.

"I'm sure it won't come ta that," Duncan said firmly. "Remember, we're talking school kids here, not armed gunmen. There may bit a bit-o teasing and such, but nothin serious. That's what Dr. Nesbitt here is talkin about. Nana, Mayu ya know that doan ya?"

Both girls nodded.

"And school is a good place!" Nana said happily. "No one ever bothered Nana or Mayu in school. Right Mayu?"

"Tis true," Mayu agreed reluctantly.

"So, Nana and Nayu will be fine," Nana assured everyone.

Learning some of the history of this family, Dr. Nesbitt knew the girls were on a different level than most school kids. They had seen horrors that no child should be exposed to. While other kids played and fought over the silly things of youth, they had fought bloody wars, and it had impacted them psychologically. "Just remember, like Duncan said, school is a good place with good folks. So, you ready to go Monday morning?"

Nana looked expectantly at Mayu. "I am," Mayu said.

.

In the afternoon, Duncan drove Kouta and Nana down to the doctors' office. Kaede had to go to work, but insisted they stop by to let her know how it turned out.

It was a normal Friday at the Lenui. Christmas and the winter solstice was coming up. Rachel insisted on both being recognized, for there were still pagans living about. Rachel got the boxes of holiday trimming out and let Kaede and Gretchen had at it. During the 'dead' times, Kaede and Gretchen put up a tree and decorated it, the bar and hung ornaments from the ceiling. This was made easier by Kaede using her Arms to hang things up high.

Kaede was having fun talking with Gretchen and figuring where to hang the shiny decorations. Kaede was about to hang a silver pentagram next to a bright red Christmas tree bulb on the garland that ran from the bar to a window.

"Kaede! What ya doin? Ya doan hang those tagether!" Gretchen asked.

Kaede raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why not?"

"Cause one's pagan, the other's Christmas!" Gretchen said like she had just offended some god.

"We're gonna celebrate both, aren't we?" Kaede asked.

"But... not next ta each other." Gretchen said, as if Kaede should already know this. "Yer a Witch, ain't ya? Doan ya know the difference?"

Kaede blinked at her and asked, "Hey Gretchen, if we're celibratin both, doan ya think they should be tagether?"

"But … we always put-em on different sides of the room at home. One side each ta honor each holiday."

To Kaede it was just shiny things to brighten the place up. She then thought of something. "Gretchen, we all live here, right? So if we're all here, intermixed, maybe the holidays should be like that too."

Gretchen frowned at her. "No one ever done that before."

.

While they talked and semi-argued, Kurama came in with his bag over his shoulder. Over by a railing to the other dining area, he saw the girls talking. He also noted the pink hair and the wool hat.

Lucy.

So, this was what he'd been sent here for, to see if Lucy would kill him. Seeing the woman behind the bar, he walked in quietly and asked, "May I have a room?"

"Certainly, sir. Register's right over here," Rachel said. "How long ya staying?"

Thankfully, at the place where the register was, his back was to Lucy. "Five days," he said quietly.

Rachel gave him the register to sign, then noted he had most of one arm missing, and a prosthetic hand. "Ya had a bad accident?" she guessed, pointing at his hand.

"I did. Wrong pace at the wrong time."

"Here, kin ya show me some ID? I'll sign for ya."

He tried to dig his wallet out of his suit. Rachel waved him closer and pulled it out. "I'll git that for ya." she said pleasantly.

"Thank you," he said meekly. He kept his voice low, not wanting to draw Lucy's attention.

Rachel wrote his information down and called, "Kaede! Kin ya give this man a hand?"

.

"Aye!" Kaede gave a parting, "I think we should mix-em," to Gretchen and walked over to help the man by the bar. As she get closer, he turned to look at her. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Kurama!" she spat.

Before he was able to utter a sound, he was spun to face her and slammed against the wall. The broadsword that was hanging on the post rose up and shot like a missile straight for him, stopping to indent his throat.

Rachel, sure she was seeing a man about to die, yelled,"Kaede! NO!"

Kaede ignored Rachel. Eyes crimson in anger, she asked Kurama, "Why ya here?"

"Kaede! Let him down!" Rachel cried, wide-eyed.

"Why ya here!" Kaede snapped as she glare at Kurama. "Ya should be in jail fer murder. WHY YA HERE?"

Kurama hung motionless, quivering in place. He knew he was a dead man. "Please, make it quick," he croaked.

Rachel ran around the bar to stand in front of Kaede. She had no doubt Kaede was going to kill this man. "Kaede, stop! We'll call the police, Ya doan hafta kill-im!"

Shifting her red eyed glare to Rachel, Kaede yelled,"He killed my sister! He hung me in a steel box for years, he's the one who tried to cut Kouta's balls off!" sneering at Kurama, she grated, "The police had their chance. They let'im go. This murderer of babies is goin ta die slow and painful."

"No, Kaede, ya can't do that!" Rachel cried. "Not here!"

Kaede drew the sword back and put it away. "Yer right. I'll take'im someplace where his screams won't bother ya."

"Kaede?" Gretchen asked as she came up to Kaede's side. "If he's that bad, why'd he come here. Surely he knew ya'd kill him. Maybe there's somethin yer not seein."

Quivering in anger, Kaede drew Kurama to her. In a growl she said, "Why ya here? Ya kin speak, or I kin take ya apart until ya do. The first thing ta go will be yer balls, just like ya wanted ta do ta Kouta!"

Gazing at her fearfully, Kurama said in a weak tone, "This man … sent me here to have you kill me."

"What man?" Kaede snapped.

"Why'd he do that?" Gretchen asked quickly.

"I don't know." Kurama stated.

"Ya better say," Kaede warned, and grabbed his testicles with an Arm.

Kurama stiffened and gasped out a yelp. "I don't know! He pulled me out of prison and sent me here."

"Kaede, there's somethin on him," Rachel said. "Kin I check his shirt?"

Kaede nodded. Rachel opened up Kurama's shirt to show he was wearing a harness with small devices and wires on it. "He's bugged. Someone's listenin," Rachel said.

Over the shock of seeing Kurama here, in her home town, Kaede's mind began to work. Maybe this was the MI-6 man's way of getting something on her to put extra leverage on her. She grew a crooked grin. "I see, yer not gittin away with this that easy. Since ya gave Kurama to me, I take it he's mine now. Doan worry, I'll treat him properly." She then tore the clothes off his torso. She felt along the harness and found devices and wires. On his back, she discovered something that felt different. Turning him around, she scrutinized a round disk between his shoulder blades. It had two wires going to it. She shielded herself and Gretchen, then ripped the wires free and pulled the device off.

Kaede turned him back around and asked, "What's this?"

Kurama looked at it. "I think that's the bomb they put on me. I case I tried to run."

Leaning towards what looked to be a microphone, Kaede said, "Ya can't kill him yet. I got somethin in store for this bastard. Since ya are so cowardly as ta sent him and not come yerself, ya won't know what that is." She then ripped the devices off the harness of and crushed them.

To Rachel, Kaede said, "I'll be back soon. Somethin I gotta do."

Rachel only nodded. She knew better than to mess with Kaede when she was like this.

Despite what Kaede wanted to do, she marched Kurama up to his room. She pushed him in and threw his bag on the bed. In a hard tone, she said, "Yer stayin here til I git off. Then, I'm takin ya home an yer goin in the dungeon. If authorities won't keep ya in prison, I will." Giving a jerk on the harness she added, "And I'll hang ya up just like ya hung me up. Please, try ta run away. I know just what ta do wit ya."

Kurama watched Lucy slam the door shut as she left. He sat down on the bed, knowing she was going to do exactly what she said. The window was too small to fit through. He tried to puzzle out a way to kill himself before she came back.